BRANDON MARSHALL

MEDIA COVERAGE

Transcript of Miami Dolphins Brandon Marshall “Coming out” about his diagnoses of Borderline Personality Disorder – NFL Associated Press - Published: July 31, 2011 at 07:56am. Updated: July 26, 2012 at 08:43 pm. 

Brandon Marshall (BM) “I wouldn’t be able to articulate or paint a vivid enough picture for you guys, ahh, to show you what I’ve been suffering from. Which in terms affects my wife, which is the closest person to me, and uh my interpersonal relationships which are my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches. So that’s the number one thing I want to do here today. Out of respect for my marriage and where we are at today and my family, I will not go into any detail of any situation, but I want to make clear that my wife did not take a knife and stab me, ahh, I made ah the glass available to detectives so they can make the right decision, which had my blood and the skin still on it. The only reason why I’m doing this, there comes a time in a guy like myself’s life when everything I’ve been through, that you become bullet proof to the critics and to what the world think of you. Right now, today I am vulnerable, I am making myself vulnerable and I'm making it clear that this is the opposite of damage control, ah, the only reason I’m standing here today is to use my story to help others who may suffer from what I suffer from, what I had to deal with. I can’t explain to you and paint a vivid enough picture for you guys, where I’ve been in my life probably since the end of my rookie year, with that being said, I want you guys to tell my story in a accurate way, um, in a way that people who read it, who may have suffered from what I have suffered from can get the proper help, the proper treatment. This is, ah, this is the most stigmatised disorder out there, but yet, it is very treatable. And with the right help, the right treatment, programme, the right treaters, one diagnosed with BPD can live a healthy, effective, peaceful life.  

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After three months of treatment and therapy, psychological and neurological exams at Boston's McLean Hospital, the training ground for Harvard University medical students, Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall believes he's finally at the root of his struggles. 
 
During the summer of 2011, following a domestic dispute that led to his wife's arrest, he been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, or BPD. 
 
"BPD is a well understood psychological disorder. It's not a form of misbehavior," said Mary Zanarini, a professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, who treated Marshall this summer. 
 
BPD is a mental illness that studies say is more common than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but is rarely diagnosed because of misperceptions in the mental health community, and the challenges of providing a proper treatment plan. 
 
The disorder is marked by difficulties with relationships and self-image and controlling moods and emotions. 
 
During Marshall's treatment at McLean, he learned how to defuse the bomb inside of his head. Now with the tools and a new perspective he's returning to the real world, the NFL, a marriage he admittedly broke, a wife who feels vilified, and must use the skills he's learned to survive, if not thrive. 

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